My situation:
I visited Portugal in Dec 2012 for 29 days on a Schengen visa valid from Dec 1, 2012 to Feb 1, 2013 for research purposes (I am a Ph.D. student). I want to visit Sweden from Feb 10, 2013 to May 10, 2013 (89 days). I have applied for a Schengen visa again (for research). Will the 90/180 rule be applicable to me?

4 Answers
4

Prometheus's answer was originally correct but the Schengen Borders Code has been amended by Regulation (EU) 610/2013 to counter the court's interpretation.

As of October 18, 2013 your stay should be “no more than 90 days in any 180-day period”. In particular, you should have been present less than 90 days during the past 180 days when leaving the Schengen area. Information about this is available on the website of the the EU commission along with a calculator

Also note that the new rules are in principle not applicable to citizens from the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius, and Seychelles. For these countries the old rules still apply because the visa waiver agreements still contain the older definition.

In any case, the rule always applies to a person. It does not matter if you have several passports, visas or nationalities.

Unless of course one of those nationalities is of an EU or Schengen country.
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phoogAug 18 '14 at 23:34

@phoog Well, yes of course but in that case you wouldn't get a Schengen visa or be concerned about all that at all.
–
RelaxedAug 19 '14 at 8:16

1

Perhaps, but many people seem to think that if a dual national enters a Schengen country on a non-Schengen passport, even though their other nationality is of a Schengen country, that they must therefore abide by the 90/180 rule. My comment was intended to contradict that belief.
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phoogAug 19 '14 at 18:25

@phoog Yes, I have heard such stories too, good point!
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RelaxedSep 30 '14 at 7:16

This answer is invalid as of November 2013. Only kept here for historic purposes.

I got the visa today, so I am answering my own question for the benefit of others.
There indeed is a 90/180 day rule for Schengen visas. But the way the stay duration is calculated is a little different from what is seen in most forums on the web.

The 6 month (or 180 days to be precise) period starts on the day of
the first entry into the Schengen zone (Note that the day of first
entry means the day you physically arrive in the zone and not the day
the validity of the visa starts). In that 6 month period, you can only
stay in the Schengen zone for a maximum of 90 days, irrespective of
whether you have a new Schengen visa issued by the same or a different
Schengen country that is valid beyond this 6 month period. At the end
of this 6 month period, a NEW 6 month period starts and you can again
spend a maximum of 90 days in the Schengen zone, provided you have a
valid visa. If your stay duration overlaps two 6 month periods, then
you must individually satisfy the 90 day limit in BOTH periods. All
following 6 months period will be calculated back to back from the
date of the first entry, until you remain outside the Schengen zone
for at least 6 months. When you stay outside for at least 6 months
(continuously) and THEN enter the Schengen zone, the six month period
again starts from the day of the entry. It would be as if you were
entering the Schengen zone for the first time.

Wow this system of having "periods" with starting points is not at all how I thought the 60/180 rule worked!
–
hippietrailOct 16 '13 at 9:29

1

+1 because it was originally correct (and very nice of you to follow-up on your earlier question) but this is not accurate anymore as of November 2013 (see the other answers).
–
RelaxedNov 11 '13 at 21:24

Downvoted only to assist the more correct answer in 'catching up'.
–
CGCampbellOct 2 '14 at 19:00

So the more likely scenario in either the consulate or at the border is that the border control will err on the side of caution and indicate that you will violate your C visa by staying more then 90 days in 180 day period in the EU.